Library Connections: What are you reading?
Sharing books brings connection, and at the end of a Maine winter, we certainly can benefit from such a connection. What are you reading?
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Columns
392 posts
Harpswell’s Private Chef: A practical April dinner
April is our in-between month. We're not sure if we should wear a coat over our sweatshirt or finally ditch the boots for socks and sandals. Personally, I'm a socks-and-sandals-all-year-round kind of person, typical of many young adults in Maine. It's practical, but not always pretty. And honestly, that's kind of the theme of life and cooking this time of year.
Lost on a Loop Trail: A clipping to retain
I'm on findagrave.com, the site where you can, well, find a grave. The photo of the tombstone on my screen is gray and rather tall and narrow, like a nail clipper. OK, maybe that's a forced simile, but it fits this moment nicely.
A southerner experiences the denizens of Maine
My wife and I first began experiencing the people of Maine in the fall and winter of 1989-1990, when we built our home on an island in Casco Bay. We both had grown up in the South, lived in the Boston area for many years, and were gratified to find our new neighbors in Maine to be down-to-earth, hardworking, practical, and friendly but not overly familiar.
Cooking at 43° North: Chasing away winter
Spring has arrived. It's my favorite time of year. For me it is a time of rebirth, celebration and firsts. The rains come, the snow melts and the grass once again turns a radiant green. Flowers start to emerge and the birds, weary of their winter travels, come back home. I hear their song of celebration every time I go outside to hang the wash on the line.
Harpswell Naturalist: Really clean water
You may have seen previous articles about the challenges of maintaining good health in the face of excessive environmental pollution. My April 2024 column reviewed the staggering amounts of microplastics in our air, water and food, while also highlighting growing concerns about a class of products called "forever chemicals."
Caterpillars, goldfish and butterflies
I was today years old when I discovered that a caterpillar's body liquefies inside its chrysalis. Their bodies turn to gloppy, squirty goo, and it would be reasonable and rational to think dissolving is the end of any story. But it's not.
Thinking in Public: An old man’s fancy
As ol' Al Tennyson said, "In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love." First, that's a young man's problem, and, as I remember, there was nothing "light" about that particular fancy. But, more to the point, while young men have their own challenges, the rest of us also have stuff to be happy about in the spring.
Harpswell’s Private Chef: Seeing green before it’s here
Every time March comes around, I think about what I might do for St. Patrick's Day. Typically that's nothing — no big celebrations, no elaborate get-togethers. Maybe I'll wear green. Maybe I'll make a matcha latte instead of coffee, just because it fits the mood. But most years, the day sneaks up and then passes just as quickly. What always stands out to me isn't the holiday itself, it's how much green we start seeing before there's any outside
Cooking at 43° North: Spread the warmth
If you're thinking about vacationing in Maine, March is part of the offseason for everything except skiing, sledding, and maybe ice skating or ice fishing. If you're into winter sports, you're in luck. But hiking trails are either frozen or muddy from rain or thaw. And while the weather is inconsistent, one thing is for sure: It will be cold.
